The last 54 days

I am resuming the blog after a long holiday break and what has been three weeks of getting settled back into my life here in Pamplona. Holiday break was amazing. I saw many of whom are probably reading this blog. Now that I live away from home, it was such a blessing to spend Christmas in New York with family and friends. It was absolutely perfect. I much look forward to repeating the experience again and again over the next few years. The holidays are very much time for family and friends so I didn't do anything too eventful beyond the usual eating and celebrating.

I have been back in Pamplona nearly three weeks, and it feels like I never left. At work, things are continuing to pick up. We are on the verge of winning some funding for the center pretty soon, and we are starting to select countries that we will do poverty research on. I am slowly getting very busy. I much like this. In addition to the uptick at work, I am keeping up with the ongoing effort to raise money for Fundacion Profesionales Solidarios. I am hoping that an updated website and some sessions with a graphic designer will give us some better weapons to fundraise. Also, I am going to pursue grants from US foundations since there is real money to be had here. The last little project that I have going is trying to set up some activities here in Pamplona for doctoral students. The effort is coming along nicely and is finally starting to bear fruit. I have organized a small speaker series of sorts. I hope that some sporting events and weekend getaways will also be in the miss, but not only do things happen slowly in Spain. All new things take time. I am wrestling with it.

Socially I am enjoying Pamplona more and more as I appreciate it for what it is worth. It is a quiet town, but I know enough people to enjoy it. Because winter has a way of making people stay indoors, I have been doing my best to try and learn how to cook a few extra dishes in addition to catching up on some reading. In two weeks, I go to Rome for the weekend. I am beyond excited about that. I will be visiting my sister who is studying there and brother who will be in town for the week. At the conclusion of that trip, I will surely have more photos to upload.

Speaking of photos, below is a slideshow I put together explaining the foundation's work and their projects over the 2009 year. Enjoy it...

http://s993.photobucket.com/albums/af60/funapros/funapros%202009/?albumview=slideshow

Last note is that I am continuing to think long-term about doing a doctoral thesis out here. My interest is in how to build an institution. Within that, I am still trying to flesh out exactly where I wish to go. The good news is that by May I hope to have a plan in place as to how I will do it. I also hope to have a theme picked out by then. You will be posted as the idea kicks around my head.

Now, that I am back I hope to resume the regularity of doing an entry every week. Write to you then...